It’s official. Suze Orman is now in the game of selling financial products to consumers. This past week she launched her new card called “The Approved Card” which is supposed to be a low cost alternative to other pre-paid debit cards in the market place. While Suze gets on television to espouse the latest and greatest ways to make good decisions for your financial future, is a prepaid debit card something consumers need to make their financial picture better?

Let me remind you some important notes about Suze Orman. First and foremost that she isn’t a licensed financial advisor. In fact, she hasn’t had a securities license since May of 1991. There are tens of thousands of hard working licensed financial advisors out there trying to help clients every day. While she spends countless numbers of hours on television trying to tell consumers to stay away from ‘high-priced’ products and avoiding paying people fees and/or commissions, it’s ironic that she now has a product on the shelf to make money directly from consumers. When seasoned financial professionals and financial bloggers challenged her on Twitter ( @SuzeOrmanShow ) this week about the launch of the new card, she dismissed some of these people by saying “too bad you chose to believe an idiot over me” and “read the reviews of legit reporters or ones that are smart enough to understand what I am doing.” Suze . . . here’s a news flash . . . I am legit, I am licensed, I carry six advanced designations, and have over 20 years hand to hand experience dealing with clients . . . so I will comment on this!

There are so many different types of cards, it’s no wonder people are confused. When it comes to dealing with personal finance, the credit card, the debit card, and prepaid debit cards are three of the main cards people may use in their everyday life. Since close to 25% of the United States goes unbanked today, certainly there can be a place for the prepaid debit cards especially for people whose credit has been destroyed for things like filing bankruptcy or underwater real estate that was sold or foreclosed on over the past couple of years.

For most of us who can pay our bills, the strategy I still like the best to is to find an excellent point earning or cash back credit card to pay as many of your bills on that you can during a given month. This gives you the ability to float your cash and earn interest in your bank account for 30 to 45 days before you actually have to pay the credit card bill without incurring any finance charges. At the same time, you can build up a massive amount of points for flights, hotels, and gifts that can be used for the future. If you use a cash back card, then you can see some immediately benefit by getting more of your cash back in the bank. If you happen to use a debit card to make many of your monthly purchases, I am only a fan of these types of cards if you can attach a rewards program to the card. If not, then you are just giving away your cash today without gaining any ancillary benefit. This is especially true if you do have the ability to pay your bills.

Now, let’s get to Suze. My understanding is that the best part of this card is that you get one free cut, color, and highlighting of your hair with your first purchase (just kidding). I couldn’t resist making that comment because sometimes I think the dye goes straight to Suze’s brain when she makes off handed comments on how professionals make their living in this business. We can’t all make our money selling books to people and having no accountability around whether or not clients actually become successful.

Most prepaid debit cards are ladened with fees. Suze’s prepaid debit card offers the ability to open a new card for $3 and carry a $3 monthly fee. The idea behind this card is that Suze is offering things like free identity theft protection and she is working hard with the credit scoring agencies to recognize these cards so people who can’t establish credit or have bad credit scores can get some traction on establishing better credit. As I mentioned before, with roughly 25% of people in the U.S. unbanked today this could be a good alternative for people who simply cannot get a credit card or a banking relationship. The card will have the feature to accept direct deposit of your paycheck as well. Comparing the overall prepaid debit card market place, this card will be one of the better ones when it comes to cost to consumer and the benefits it can offer them. Wal-Mart Money and MasterCard do have good prepaid debit cards, but this card could have exceptional benefits if it can help you establish credit for your future. As far as the card goes, I’m a thumbs up on the card itself.

However, here’s where this isn’t good for consumers. The moment that the personal finance and consumer advocate entertainers like Suze Orman begin to sell products for personal gain and profit we have a problem. These entertainers who are unlicensed have the media power to influence thousands of people without clearly giving them all of the options that exist in the marketplace. That means there is really no separation of church and state and how will regulators make sure consumers get a fair deal. If this was a not for profit effort she was launching, it might make more sense to me. So here’s my advice. . . . consumers beware when you listen to Suze on television now has she is in the product business and now will have other motives besides getting you to watch her show and buy her books.

Visit to www.oxygenfinancial.net to request a free consultation with the leading financial experts for people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s in the country.

Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through NFP Advisor Services, LLC (NFPAS), Member FINRA/SIPC. Oxygen Financial is not affiliated with NFPAS. NFPAS does not provide tax or legal advice. This site is published for residents of the United States only. Registered Representatives and Investment Advisor Representatives of NFP Advisor Services, LLC (NFPAS) may only conduct business with residents of the states and jurisdictions in which they are properly registered. Therefore, a response to a request for information may be delayed. Not all products and services referenced on this site are available in every state and through every representative or advisor listed. For additional information, please contact NFPAS Compliance Department at 512-697-6000. PLEASE NOTE: The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy. When you link to any of the web sites provided here, you are leaving this web site. NFP Advisor Services, LLC makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these web sites. Nor is NFP Advisor Services, LLC liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, web sites, information and programs made available through this web site. When you access one of these web sites, you are leaving our web site and assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the web sites you are linking to.

My friends and family all think I’m a workaholic, but I say I’m just a guy that loves to help people do better in life.

My mother is still the only one that calls me by my real name Theodore Michael, my wife calls me Teddy, but for the rest of you it is just plain old Ted.

Ever since I was a little kid, I always loved money and being an entrepreneur. In fact, I still have cassette tapes of me talking to my grandmother at the age of five and my mother tells me all the time how much I played with money as a kid...

Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. oXYGen Financial is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS. Kestra IS and Kestra AS do not provide tax or legal advice.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor regarding your individual situation.

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9 Comments

Steph

January 17, 2012

Actally I agree. I have always been a fan of Suze and have bought a couple of her books. I admire someone, especilly a woman, who has the knowledge and courage to discuss and teach others about money and how to handle finances. I did get an email about her pre-paid debit card and I was actually surprised. Other than book and lectures, I dont think it is a good move for her…but hey its all about the money right?

Ted

January 17, 2012

Steph,

It did make me wonder this. If the advice she gave over the past 10 to 15 years was so good, how could so many of the people following her be so broke that they would need a pre paid debit card? Guess, you are right . . . it’s all about the money for her.

Ted

Gina

January 17, 2012

Sound advice Ted. You give both the good and bad of each choice. Great post!

For someone who doesn’t have a license to give financial advice she has a pretty strong following. But in this case she will only be held accountable by her fans and not any licensing agency. Avoid taking questionable advice.

Allen Shpigel

January 20, 2012

Love it! It’s so true. Great article Ted.

Ted

January 20, 2012

Sandy,

Isn’t that scary —- if you and I were on CNBC 5 nights a week, we’d have a strong following as well.

The biggest misunderstanding about Suze Orman’s prepaid card, unfortunately stoked up by Orman herself, seems to be the notion that the Approved Card, as it is called, can help its users improve their credit scores. So it’s time we set the record straight: the Suze Orman’s card does not affect your credit score in any way, either positive or negative. Colleen Tunney-Ryan, a spokeswoman for TransUnion, a credit bureau that has partnered with Orman to provide her card’s users with access to their credit reports and scores, states it plainly: “It is important to understand that this data will not appear on any TransUnion credit report at this time.” I think that should settle it. Learn more here: http://blog.unibulmerchantservices.com/suze-ormans-prepaid-card-will-not-affect-your-credit-score.

emma

January 24, 2012

ha, ted is right. I think she has the gift of the gab, too. But who knows.

You get media attention and its like having 90 press releases done for you all at one go. And it is targted audience too.

Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. Oxygen Financial is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS. Kestra IS and Kestra AS do not provide tax or legal advice.

This site is published for residents of the United States only. Registered Representatives of Kestra IS and Investment Advisor Representatives of Kestra AS may only conduct business with residents of the states and jurisdictions in which they are properly registered. Therefore, a response to a request for information may be delayed. Not all products and services referenced on this site are available in every state and through every representative or advisor listed. For additional information, please contact Kestra IS Compliance Department at 512-697-6000.

PLEASE NOTE: The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy. When you link to any of the web sites provided here, you are leaving this web site. Kestra IS and Kestra AS makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these web sites. Nor is Kestra IS and Kestra AS liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, web sites, information and programs made available through this web site. When you access one of these web sites, you are leaving our web site and assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the web sites you are linking to.